Hailblaze's Story
by Reminiscent Lullaby
Summary: ThunderClan is about to meet an era of darkness. One cat will know no bounds as lives are lost, the code is threatened, and the Clan is lost in a void of oblivion. Young Hailkit is the only one who can prevent this danger, but the sacrifice of his dream and the loss of all those he loves may just cause him to fail, leaving the destiny of another forever altered for the worse.
1. Prologue and Allegiances

**Hey, friends! I told you that I would get this out sometime during the summer, and while I wasn't planning it this soon, I thought, screw it, so here it is! This is the prequel to my infamous story, Trapped in Ice, telling the story of Hailblaze. Both he and Oakshade definitely were my favorite characters in that story, so I decided to really flesh 'em out and give them some hard core back story. This one is going to be more emotional than action-packed so it may be a little harder to write, but I tried to get a few chapters done before its release, so here we are with the prologue. **

**As for CiF, I really don't know what to tell you. I'm really struggling with that one, but I still want to work with it, but let's just say it won't be my main focus. I hope you enjoy.**

**Warriors belong to Erin Hunter, who I am not. **

Prologue

It was a gust of brumal wind that provoked her thoughts.

_I do not remember newleaf being so cold. _

She tucked her paws under her chest.

_Leafbare still feels in tight grasp of the forest. _

She was a silver she-cat with amber eyes, gazing out from her den into the bitter night that held nothing but darkness and cold it seemed. Leaves were yet to grow from the bare trees. The grass was frosted from base to tip, brittle and uncomfortable under any elder that wished to lay there.

It was so, so cold.

She looked up to the night sky. A large, white moon penetrated through the darkness, casting a haunting gray aura that provided the only other light in the sky. Tonight, the stars did not accompany the full moon, and it why the Gathering that night had ended so quickly. It wasn't even midnight, the time that the assemblies usually ended at Fourtrees, and it felt like an eternity had gone by since they had returned. And it felt as though there was nothing to share. All of the Clans were oddly silent; it was uncomfortable for every cat, especially herself, as she did not yet feel it was her place on the Great Rock, representing her Clan. The idea of it was ill-fitting in her mind, in her being. It was who she was, but not who she should be.

The silver she-cat was still youthful and nimble, but her bones ached as she stretched. Her heart felt hollow, and every beat seemed to echo through the veins in her body, bouncing off the ice in her blood, without making a dent. As they returned that evening from the Gathering, her deputy had told her to rest, noticing her fatigue that only seemed to grow with each passing hour.

She was _exhausted_, but she could not sleep. Not tonight.

Another breeze passed by, this one colder than all the previous. She winced and stretched her gaze wide as she looked out. Something was wrong, and she knew exactly what, but at this moment, she could only wait.

She held her breath, wishing that the silence would continue forever.

"Graystar?"

The voice was a claw that poked a wound into her heart. A tawny cat stuck her head into Graystar's den, blocking out the spectral light of the moon. Worried blue eyes stared into Graystar's own. Everything down to the very posture of the cat before her felt off, and it was alarming.

"It's time."

The words struck her harder than any blow could. Her face twitched. She struggled to keep it straight and unreadable. "Are you sure?"

"He wants you," meowed the small tawny cat grimly, ignoring Graystar's question.

Graystar stood. Her paws felt numb, but she walked as steady as she could out of her den. A blast of cold air hit her, but she didn't notice it. She turned to the tawny she-cat. "Smallfeather…"

The warrior looked at her expectantly, but Graystar said nothing.

"He's waiting," whispered Smallfeather.

Those words struck her as something sad. Graystar stared downward at her paws as saturnine thoughts rolled heavily through her mind. _He isn't just waiting for me. He's waiting to get it all over with, so he can..._ She couldn't finish. It was too somber for her to take.

Smallfeather walked at a slow pace, and Graystar was thankful for it. The last thing she needed was for the night to move any quicker. The camp was lightly blanketed by a thin layer of pale fog that seemed to glow as the moon's haunting light touched it. There was silence among the dens, which was much more sufficiently wrapped around the camp than the fog was. The entirety of ThunderClan seemed to emanate how Graystar felt inside, knowing the truth what what really went on within it. They of course, had no clue. They of course wouldn't know until the morning came.

At last, the two of them stood at the entrance of the medicine cat den. Graystar hesitated, looking at Smallfeather, and wanting her to say something. The tawny she-cat stared into the darkness of the den for a few moments, before she finally spoke.

"He wants only you, Graystar," she said. "I shall not go in."

"Please do. I do not think I'll be able to face this alone," begged Graystar.

"You aren't alone. He's there. StarClan's there. They'll watch over you, and it'll be fine." Smallfeather's voice was tight as she gazed up at the sky. _She sees that the stars are not there,_ Graystar thought. _She's just trying to make it easier._ _Well, she isn't doing a very good job at that._

"Graystar, he is waiting."

"I know," Graystar whispered sadly.

Smallfeather said nothing more. With one final empathetic look, she turned tail and vanished behind Graystar, slipping into the warrior den soundlessly.

Graystar faced the medicine cat den, and the gaping, black hole that led to the inside. She felt like her heart had been caught in her throat. She was finding difficulty breathing, and couldn't force herself to move her paws forward into the den. There was an aching feeling in her chest, and as she stood there, it struck her: Why was she feeling this way?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint groan from within the den. It echoed softly off the stone walls, reaching her ears with a soft touch. Even so, it sent a sharp chill shooting down her spine, causing her to grow stiff. With a final deep breath, she descended into the medicine cat den.

A silence greeted her arrival. The floor was hard and cold beneath her paws as she padded a few steps in, before stopping. She saw, in the light of the moon that filtered through, a figure was lying motionless in a nest, the only sign of movement, the slight twitching of a tufted tail-tip. Graystar sucked in a gulp of air, just barely breaking the chilling quiet.

A voice, raspy and weak sounded. "Is that you?" The figure raised its head.

Graystar gazed down and walked forward. "Yes, it's me. I'm here."

A pair of dull green eyes opened, gleaming weakly in the colorless light of the full moon outside. "Come here. Please."

She obeyed, standing before his nest. She was unsure of what to say, what to do. So she simply stared down at him, as he gazed blankly up at her.

Suddenly, something sparked in his eyes. "Do not be sad, Graystar. This has been coming for moons. Both you and I know that it was only a matter of time."

"But why must that be now?" she asked pleadingly. "Can't a matter of time be seasons from this moment? Can't it be long past now? It feels too soon, Hailblaze. You are still young. This shouldn't have to happen." She closed her eyes. "Why must StarClan need you tonight?"

"StarClan..." he said. "StarClan is not here tonight. They have not been there for me for a long time. In fact, I do not think they have been there for me since my youth."

Graystar cast him a sideways glance. "Then can you not stay? If they do not need you, then why must you go?"

"I have learned things you don't realize," rasped Hailblaze. "And I have overseen the parts of this Clan that many were not known to sense. Parts of this Clan that long have been its weakness, but have not been recognized by the cats that it has deeply affected." He closed his eyes. "We have not been changed, Graystar, because these cats have failed to realize the truth it represents. We have, however, been warned, and whether or not they have seen the warning is based upon them and them alone."

She knew what he was speaking of. In leaffall there had been a catastrophe which took the lives of four cats. Hailblaze had interpreted it as a warning. What she didn't understand is why he was bringing it up now. "But...what does that have to do with-"

"It was my duty to watch and protect those unseen elements, in order to prevent the destruction of this Clan from within," explained Hailblaze. "That event two seasons ago was a sign that I have failed."

Graystar shuddered as a thread of inclement wind blew in from outside and nipped at her flesh, closing in on her with icy claws. "It's cold.." she murmured.

Hailblaze smiled at her. "You must understand that it is now too late to turn back. Not only does the Clan see me as one thing, but the cat I was meant to be had been sacrificed in more ways than one, for the sake of this task. It was an undertaking that changed me from the ThunderClan warrior I had always dreamt of being. I have since then had to live with the idea that after going through so much, it was all for nothing."

She was speechless. He spoke as if he had been through a forest fire, or had done something of equal intensity, and here she was, thinking that she had perhaps been one of his closest friends, and had no clue what he was talking about. "Hailblaze," she said, "I don't understand."

"You wouldn't," he meowed, and his voice was surprisingly gentle. "Unless you had seen it through my eyes."

"I don't want you to die, knowing that you seemed to have gone through so much, and yet you remain so misunderstood." Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. "Well, I don't want you to die at all, now that I've said it, but how can you stand to leave like this?"

Hailblaze's green eyes started fluttering. "It's...a long story."

"I've got the time," she breathed, voice breaking. "Tell me, please. What was your story?"

He smiled at her faintly. His voice was nearly just as frail. "You're in it."

She looked down, and couldn't help but smile herself. "Well then you'll have to start from the beginning."

And so he did, and Graystar held on to every word until there was no more.

**Allegiances**

ThunderClan

**Leader: **Hazelstar- dappled tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

**Deputy: **Rainstone- long-furred silvery-gray tom with broad shoulders

**Medicine Cat: **Shadewhisker- small black tom with amber eyes

**Warriors:**

Dawntail- pale gray she-cat

Whitepelt- large white tom with a black dash on his chest

Hollowbird- light golden tabby tom (**Apprentice**: Oakpaw)

Timberclaw- dark brown tom with blue eyes

Milktail- cream and white she-cat (**Apprentice**: Foxpaw)

Thornfeather- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Beetletooth- dark gray tom with blue eyes (**Apprentice**: Leafpaw)

Poppyfall- dappled golden she-cat

Talonfoot- pale tabby tom

Flickerstorm- bright ginger tom with amber eyes (**Apprentice**: Graypaw)

Wolfleap- gray tom with amber eyes

Dusksky- grayish-brown tabby she-cat

Ravenfur- large black tom with yellow eyes

Mousewhisper- small light brown tabby she-cat

**Apprentices:**

Oakpaw- dark brown tabby tom with white paws and green eyes

Foxpaw- large ginger tom with amber eyes and big paws

Graypaw- silver she-cat with amber eyes

Leafpaw- ginger and tawny she-cat with white paws

**Queens: **

Cloverstripe- ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes (mother to Rainstone's kits: Hailkit, Mothkit, and Featherkit)

Lightshine- fluffy white she-cat (mother to Thornfeather's kit: Snowkit)

Darkfern- black she-cat (expecting Beetletooth's kits)

**Kits:**

Hailkit- gray and white tom with green eyes

Mothkit- ginger and white she-cat

Featherkit- long-furred dark gray she-cat with a pale underbelly and blue eyes

Snowkit- white she-cat with yellow eyes

**Elders:**

Swallowfur- brown tabby she-cat

Antclaw- black tom with amber eyes

Patchfur- brown and white tabby tom

RiverClan

**Leader: **Icestar- pale gray tom with cold blue eyes

**Deputy: **Beechclaw- dark gray tabby tom

**Medicine Cat**: Splashtail- light silver tom with amber eyes

**Warriors**:

Minnowleap- dark gray she-cat

Reedbreeze- dark brown tabby tom

Tanglepelt- golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes (**Apprentice**: Cricketpaw)

Sedgefur- light gray tom with a white underbelly

Yellowfern- golden she-cat (**Apprentice**: Sagepaw)

Breezestep- gray tabby tom

Longclaw- white and brown spotted tom with hooked claws

Vixenfoot- light brown tabby she-cat

**Queens**:

Otterwhisker- brown she-cat with blue eyes

**Elders**:

Silverfish- light gray tabby tom

Crowfoot- black she-cat

ShadowClan

**Leader**: Boulderstar- dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Deputy**: Siltpelt- golden-brown she-cat

**Medicine Cat**: Smokeheart- dark gray tom (**Apprentice**: Spiralpaw)

WindClan

**Leader**: Yarrowstar- black and white she-cat with amber eyes

**Deputy**: Runningcloud- pale-furred tabby tom

**Medicine: **Goldenwillow- golden-brown she-cat

**Tell me what you all think! I truly think that the prologue captures the fashion in which the story will be written in. Emotional, but not dramatic, you know? Well, I'll get chapter one out soon, all you have to do is...**

**Review!**

**~Destiny**


	2. One

Chapter One

A shriek outside startled Hailkit.

The air was thick and humid. Greenleaf had set in early. It wasn't supposed to have come for another moon, but regardless it was unbearably stuffy in the nursery, and Hailkit couldn't stop moving around, despite his mother's orders to stay still. But it was just so difficult to be comfortable in the heat. He shook out his soft pelt, then curiously looked up at Cloverstripe.

"Mother, what was that?"

At first, he thought that Cloverstripe hadn't heard him. The ginger tabby Queen stared worryingly outside the den, but she blocked her kits' view with her tail. Silence followed his question, as his mother didn't answer, but the quiet hardly lasted another moment. Another yowl outside the nursery rang out, forcing Hailkit's gray ears to flatten against the top of his spotted head.

Mothkit fidgeted restlessly. "What's going on?" Her voice was excited, she attempted to climb over Cloverstripe's back, but was pulled down by Featherkit, who gave her a stern glare.

"Obviously a battle," said Snowkit with a scoff. She sat up at her mother, Lightshine's belly, her wide yellow eyes annoyed and displeased as her soft tail-tip flicked lightly. Mothkit just mewed hollowly in response to the white kit's remark and sat back silently.

Hailkit scowled at Snowkit, who only glared more intensely back at him, forcing his gaze back onto Cloverstripe, who hadn't budged the whole time.

"Mother," he pressed, kneading her spine with his paws, "Come on, what's happening? Tell us!"

"Relax, Cloverstripe," said Lightshine with an emotionless tone. "It's just a petty little skirmish over Sunningrocks. It happens a hundred times a moon."

Suddenly, Cloverstripe shot her gaze over to the other Queen. "You only say that because _your_ mate is handling himself just fine," she snarled sourly.

Lightshine gave her a bored look. "Give it a rest. Rainstone wasn't made deputy for a lack in battle skills, that's for sure. This'll be over before you know it. ThunderClan knows how to deal with this sort of thing - can't RiverClan finally take a hint? You have to stop worrying all the time."

"I don't think it's a crime to actually show concern for the ones I love," hissed Cloverstripe.

"Please stop," said Darkfern from the back of the nursery. The black she-cat had also been pretty quiet. "Lightshine, it's okay if Cloverstripe is a little nervous about the battle, and Cloverstripe, I'm sure you don't have a lot to fret about. Rainstone seems to be doing perfectly well out there." She flicked her tail-tip.

Cloverstripe glowered at Lightshine, but said nothing.

Several moments passed. Hailkit heard the sounds of struggle outside the nursery as they unceasingly reverberated across the camp outside the den. His heart raced behind his chest, while his tail lashed in impatience. He wanted to see what was going on outside. Mothkit looked just as fascinated. She poked at Cloverstripe with her little claws, eyes wide and glowing with curiosity.

"Mothkit, stop that," scolded Featherkit.

The ginger and white she-cat turned to her sister. "What? I want to see! Mother," she mewed.

"No, Mothkit," murmured Cloverstripe. "You're too young to see this."

"Four moons," Mothkit replied. "I'll be seeing battles all the time in _two_ moons, and that's hardly a ways off. Why can't I just look now? I want to see Rainstone, and the rest of Clan. I want to see RiverClan too! What do they look like? Do they have mean eyes and long claws? Do they look like fish? Do they-"

"Shut up," hissed Snowkit.

Mothkit glared. "Please, mother?"

Cloverstripe merely shook her head.

"Ow!" cried Mothkit as Featherkit grabbed her by the ear.

"Just stop," Featherkit meowed. "It'll be over soon. We can ask Rainstone what is was like then. Please, just sit back and leave mother alone."

Hailkit smiled as Mothkit obeyed. Featherkit, a dark gray she-cat always acted like the most mature of the three littermates. Unlike himself, or especially Mothkit, she wasn't impulsive. She always kept a level-head and tried to protect her siblings. Mothkit didn't like it, but Hailkit admired her sophistication, even though at time he was a little annoyed by her at-times imperious instincts.

Mothkit, on the contrary, was very hyper, and couldn't ever keep still. She always loved to bother the warriors, and talk to the apprentices, even when they were clearly miffed by her excitability. She loved asking questions, and telling her littermates her fantasies about how amazing of a warrior she'll be. At the moment, she was obsessed with the idea of becoming deputy when she's only eight moons old. Hailkit listened, but he couldn't help but inwardly laugh at how ridiculous she was sometimes. In about a half moon she would gain a new bizarre thought that she simply couldn't stand not to share. He couldn't get enough of it, though. She was Featherkit's balance.

Hailkit himself, he was pretty high-strung, but he tended to stay quiet about it. He thought of himself as in the very middle of his sisters. In fact, according to Cloverstripe, he was born between them too, but he didn't doubt the excellence he would prove as a warrior. One day, he would be fighting the same battles that currently raged outside in the ThunderClan camp. He would be just like his father, Rainstone. Strong, and brave, and loyal!

Pouting, Mothkit laid down at Cloverstripe's back. Featherkit sat beside her and closed her big blue eyes. They both fell asleep almost immediately. Hailkit watched them for a moment, then looked up at Cloverstripe, still nervously gazing at the entrance to the camp from her nest. Meanwhile, Darkfern had begun to doze, and Hailkit knew that Lightshine and Snowkit wouldn't give a piece of dung whatever he was doing. Slowly, he began to ease himself from the nest, careful not to disturb the bracken that lined it.

A moment later, he was out of the nest, shaking out his fur and stretching his legs. It was so hot! How was he expected to just sit in that cramped nest the entire time, cooking like an earthworm under the blazing sun? Hailkit groomed himself quickly, then looked at the nursery entrance. He wasn't tall enough to see out, so the only way we would be able to see the battle was if he left.

Hailkit glanced briefly up at Cloverstripe. She would most likely notice if he left, but how else would he see the battle? Slowly, he made his way forward to the front of the nursery. His mother's gaze was unblinking and worried, fixated completely on whatever was happening outside. Hailkit blinked at a screech of a she-cat, high-pitched and loud. Even Lightshine, who had shown no interest in the battle had perked her ears, looking quickly over to the entrance.

Following a few moments after was a dull yowl, that Hailpaw found to sound out of place in the midst of struggle. The noises stopped, the camp silencing.

"What's going on? Is it over?" Mothkit asked, awake and rubbing her muzzle with her paw.

No one made a reply. Hailkit's fur bristled. He wanted to see what had happened, and why the battle had seemed to stop. He leaped out of the nursery, his claws hooking into the ground before him and launching him forward. Excitement and curiosity sparked in his chest as he left the den.

"Hailkit!" Cloverstripe's voice came, but he ignored her.

Hailkit gasped when he got outside. It was in the late morning - the first signs of battle had begun just after dawn - and clouds blocked the light of the sun, casting shadows over the camp despite otherwise being under a blue sky. The smell of blood was heavy in the humid air, and choked Hailkit when he first stepped into it. The strong odor of fish was draped over the camp as well. Small steaks of blood coated the grass, which was also lined with different colors of fur: black, white, orange, gray...everyone had been hurt in the fight, Hailkit could tell.

Several cats stood in the clearing. The warriors that Hailkit recognized as ThunderClan stood tall and proud. They were all covered in wounds, and their eyes were tired, but they looked satisfied and pleased. Each wore faint smiles. The other cats, the RiverClan warriors were quickly disappearing up the ravine. Hailkit's eyes were wide. They had won!

Suddenly, a sharp hiss broke the silence. Hailkit's gaze snapped towards a tortoiseshell she-cat. Her blue eyes were aggressive, but cautious. She faced a heavily-built pale gray tom, his fur caked with dark blood and the shoulders. His muzzle was torn open at the side, exposing red-stained teeth. Hailkit grimaced in disgust, but forced himself not to look away.

"Leave with the rest of your Clan, Icestar," said the tortoiseshell. She was the ThunderClan leader. Hailkit had never spoken to her directly, but Cloverstripe had told him that she was very wise and noble.

"Not without you knowing that this is not the last time you will face me," growled the pale gray tom with a minacious voice. Hailkit on impulse took a step back. He was afraid of Icestar.

_No_, he thought. _Warriors are never scared._

Hazelstar narrowed her eyes. "Leave, before we make you."

Without so much as one last hiss, Icestar pushed past her and vanished up the ravine.

Hailkit gasped as teeth pierced his scruff. His paws flailed wildly as they lost connection from the ground. He calmed when he saw the ginger fur of his mother, but annoyance still pricked at his pelt.

"Mother," he complained.

She took him back inside the nursery. Mothkit and Featherkit sat up in the nest, both awake and alert. Featherkit looked irked and disappointed, and one of those rare moments occurred where Hailkit couldn't stand how cynical, mellow and mature his sister was.

"What's going on, Hailkit? What did you see?"

Cloverstripe silenced her with a glare, then turned back to look at Hailkit. "What were you thinking going out there? I told you several times to stay put in that nest, and you just deliberately disobey me. It's dangerous out there, Hailkit!"

"But the battle was over. The RiverClan cats were leaving," he argued.

"And what if one of them had stepped on you when running off?" demanded Cloverstripe. "I don't want you putting yourself in danger. There will be plenty of time to go adventuring when you're an apprentice, but for now, you have to do what I say and stay in the nursery unless I give you permission to go out, and never will that be during a battle, are we clear?"

Hailkit didn't reply. He stared scowling at his paws, refusing to look at his mother.

Cloverstripe sighed, and suddenly her voice was gentle. "I'm sorry for yelling Hailkit," she apologized. "But you must understand that all I want is for you to be safe. You don't realize what it's really like out there. It's hard for even a warrior to tackle the difficulties of their duties let alone a small kit."

"I'm not small," he mumbled. "I'll be the best warrior ever. It won't be hard for me."

Cloverstripe said nothing.

"Come here, Hailkit. Sleep next to me," Featherkit called. "The battle woke us up way too early. We should nap."

"Go on," meowed Cloverstripe softly. "I'm going to go check on your father."

As she spoke, a silvery-gray tom slipped into the den. A long scratch ran from his shoulder blade to his mid-foreleg, and one of his ears was torn, but he looked hardly fazed. Cloverstripe gasped and padded up to him.

"Rainstone! Are you okay?" she asked.

Rainstone was ThunderClan's loyal deputy and Hailkit and his sisters' father, but they hardly ever spoke to him. Cloverstripe always told them that it was because he was very busy, but Hailkit, Mothkit, and Featherkit didn't ever believe her. Even when they did see him, he always ignored them, as if they weren't even there. You didn't have to be six moons old to know the sad reality of what Rainstone really thought of them.

"I'm fine," said the tom emotionlessly. "I came to tell you that Hazelstar's calling a quick meeting."

"I'm coming," Cloverstripe said.

Lightshine and Darkfern both stood and followed the two of them out of the nursery as Hazelstar called out outside. This left Featherkit, Mothkit, Hailkit, and Snowkit alone in the den.

"I bet Thornfeather won the battle for us," said the white she-cat. "My father is an excellent fighter."

Hailkit and his sisters ignored her. Mothkit turned to face the two of them. "So, Hailkit. Tell us what happened."

Before he could answer, Hazelstar's voice rang out loud and clear for even the kits within the nursery to hear. "I am very happy to say that this battle did not result in any serious wounds," she told the Clan, though her voice did not reflect what was said in her words. "I am however fearful of more intense future conflict with RiverClan. Icestar is a new leader. It is natural that it is in his best interest to prove to his Clan that he is a strong one as well." Her voice went dark. "This victory did not hurt his pride. I ask of you to be wary of RiverClan during border patrols."

"Hey, when did Icestar become RiverClan's leader?" Hailkit asked his sisters.

"I'm not sure. I only remember overhearing Cloverstripe and Rainstone saying that Creekstar had lost his last life after they got back from a Gathering, but I don't recall when," answered Featherkit.

"Guys, listen!" Mothkit mewed.

"Luckily, the wound that Thornfeather inflicted on Vixenfoot didn't look fatal, according to Shadewhisker," Hazelstar went on. "Hopefully that means we won this battle honorably, and RiverClan can take it as a sign to end the conflict for now."

"Ha! I knew my father won the battle for us!" Snow kit exclaimed excitedly.

Hailkit rolled his eyes.

"Please, if you are wounded, see Shadewhisker now," Hazelstar finished. "That'll be all."

There was silence once again.

"Who's Shadewhisker?" asked Hailkit.

"The medicine cat, mouse-brain," Snowkit snipped.

Hailkit was about to make a retort, but was cut off when Cloverstripe reentered the nursery with the rest of the Queens. She stretched her jaws into a gaping yawn. "I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted."

"Agreed," Darkfern purred drowsily.

Cloverstripe curled up in the nest, her tail wrapping protectively around her kits. Hailkit at first, struggled to break free, but slowly began to drift off to sleep. He had been tired too. All he knew next were dreams of his future, fading in and out of existence like the echoes of the chants that called his name.

**And there you go! Chapter One for you! A little rushed perhaps, but I think it established something important. What seems a little strange about Hailkit compared to what you already know about him? Remember to review!**

**~Destiny**


	3. Two

**Thanks for reviewing, guys! Sorry it took me a while to update. I was trying to have the next chapter ready before posting this one, but I'm having problems. With that said, it might be another long wait, but thank you so much for your support. It's really appreciated. **

Chapter Two

"Hurry, Mothkit! The fox is getting away!"

The words were hardly out of Hailkit's mouth by the time his sister was rushing though the air towards their target. Her little claws unsheathed as she ran, and about a tail-length away, she crouched and leaped, paws outstretched, with a strenuous effort of distance to reach the object of attack.

"Ow!" squealed Featherkit as Mothkit's claws sank into her tail. She snapped it away from her sister's tight grasp, only for a tuft of thick gray fur to be left behind under the grip of the small ginger kit. Featherkit gave the twinge a gentle lick, then glared at Mothkit angrily. "Why in StarClan's name would you do that?"

The ginger and white she-cat batted at the tuft of fur playfully before pinning it to the grass. Without even looking at Featherkit, she replied, "Come on, we're playing. You know, that thing that you hardly ever do because you think it's a waste of time?" She smirked. "Well, I hope you're having fun staring at the clouds all day, sister dearest. Meanwhile, Hailkit and I are having the time of our lives saving the Clan from a pack of angry foxes. We'll be getting our own feast once we're done with you."

Featherkit let her tail fall limp, she turned around. "I don't ever recall saying I don't like to play," she meowed darkly. "And it looks like that you're a lone warrior messing around with the tail of very hungry fox."

Mothkit grinned and shot to her paws. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"

Hailkit, who had been watching the exchange from a distance padded up to his sisters. "You should know the basics," he said to Featherkit. "A group of many foxes attacked the camp and stole all of the prey. Mothkit and I are the warriors sent out by Hazelstar to stop them, while you are one of the foxes. We're going to try and take that mouse from you." He pointed to a leaf. "There's also about a moon's worth of backstory involving Twolegs, monsters, and a secret Clan that has been hiding in the shadows for a hundred seasons and is training to attack all the Clans, but we'll spare you that for now."

"Fair enough," mewed Featherkit before rearing up on her hind paws and leaping to attack Hailkit. She gripped him by the shoulders, flipping him over onto his belly and standing on his forelegs, which lay sprawled out under him. "You aren't getting your prey," she growled in a raspy voice.

"Well, foxes don't talk," Hailkit hissed. He couldn't move under the dark gray she-cat. "Mothkit, get the leaf - I mean mouse!"

She nodded and started to chase it. The wind blew it out of reach, and it sat still directly in between Mothkit and Featherkit. Featherkit gasped as Mothkit started to run towards it. "Oh, no you don't!" she exclaimed, releasing Hailkit, and racing to catch it.

Hailkit got to his paws. "Come on, Mothkit, you can do it!" he cheered.

The two she-cats were a tail-length from the leaf when a white kit dove between them and placed her paws firmly over it. Mothkit and Featherkit skidded to a halt on either side of her.

"What's going on here?" the white kit asked mockingly.

"Give it, Snowkit!" Mothkit hissed, arching her back.

"No need to be so aggressive," Snowkit scolded with feigned offence. "I'm just curious as to what you're all doing is all." She lifted her paws from the leaf and began to stab holes through it with her claws. "So tell me. I might just want to join in."

Mothkit spat, frustrated while Featherkit stood still, scowling at their denmate.

Hailkit rushed up to them. "Go away, Snowkit." He attempted to grab the leaf away, but Snowkit sharply covered it again with her paw, startling him back.

"I don't think so, you little mouse-brain," she snapped. "It isn't nice to exclude."

"It also isn't nice to call other cats mouse-brains," Featherkit mumbled.

Snowkit just shot her a look. "Is it so bad that I want to have fun with you?" she asked, faking a sorrowful whine. "It isn't fair that I don't have any littermates. You three play with each other all the time while I'm alone forced to make friends with all the warriors." She then smiled cruelly. "Because who would want to do that? Oh right, everyone."

"If you're here to be cruel, you can just go," Featherkit said sternly.

"Oh, I'm not going to be a spineless weasel and listen to a four moon old kit like _some_ cats do." She glared at Mothkit and Hailkit. "You might as well just let me join in and spare yourselves the trouble of dealing with my mother." She moved her paw, revealing the leaf, shriveled and flattened.

"You've already ruined it," Hailkit murmured. "Let's go." He turned away from Snowkit and began to walk off. Mothkit and Featherkit followed him, casting dark glances towards the white kit, who only smiled back at them.

"Now that that's over," Mothkit meowed sadly. "What do you want to do now?"

"How about we go to Elders' den to listen to a story? They always tell the best," Featherkit suggested. When she saw the lack of enthusiasm on her littermates' faces, she added, "I know you usually find that all boring, but once they told me a really interesting one. I'll ask them to tell it again, you'll love it, I promise."

"Fine. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be better than being made fun of by Snowkit," meowed Hailkit.

Mothkit nodded in agreement.

Featherkit led them excitedly to the Elders' den. A brown tabby she-cat lifted her head as they entered, her eyes blinking away signs of sleep. The three kits stopped in front of her.

"Hi, Swallowfur. I hope we didn't wake you," Featherkit apologized.

"Don't apologize dear, I'm always happy to see you," Swallowfur laughed.

"Yeah, if anything apologize to me. I was having the best dream of my life," grumbled a brown and white tom at the corner of the den. He didn't even move from his curled up position to snap at the kits.

"Oh, just ignore Patchfur. You know how he can get in the morning," rasped a black tom.

"Eh, shut up, Antclaw," Patchfur growled.

"Anywho," sing-songed Swallowfur to the kits. "I bet you all came over here for a reason. What's going on?"

"Snowkit ruined our game so we came to hear a story!" said Mothkit bluntly.

"Featherkit told us that you had a good one," Hailkit mewed to Swallowfur.

"Ha, well I've got a lot of good ones," replied the brown tabby with a chuckle. "Would you mind specifying, Featherkit?"

The dark gray kit reared up on her hind paws and whispered something into Swallowfur's ear. The elder listened for a moment, and then the corners of her lips turned up into a smile. "Of course, that one. I reckon you two will be telling this one to the youngsters of your time as well. In that case, you're gonna have to listen up."

Featherkit kneaded her paws in the dirt eagerly while Hailkit and Mothkit padded towards Swallowfur with wide eyes.

"Long ago, back in the early seasons of the Clans, there was a brave and powerful warrior unlike any other," Swallowfur began.

"Oh, I know what this is," Antclaw meowed with a pleased snort.

"He was born with fur the color of sunlight on a calm lake, and shoulders broad as a lion's. For this, his parents named him Lionkit, and he was going to be the greatest warrior of them all."

Hailkit felt a spark of excitement in his belly. He leaned in closer.

"He could run as fastest as the fastest breeze, swim as strong as the strongest current, stalk as quiet of the quietest mouse, and climb as high as the highest tree. Some called him the son of all the Clans, because it seemed as if he could do it all. He battled foxes and badgers single pawed. He was brave enough to attack dogs before they could attack him. He moved as swift as an adder waiting to strike while fighting, but that was only half of what he could do."

"Whoa," Mothkit breathed.

Swallowfur nodded. "I know, I know." Then she laughed. Antclaw held in a chuckle himself. Hailkit didn't know why, but he didn't question it. "By the time he had earned his warrior name, Liontooth, he had been able to hunt hawks for prey, and fed his Clan like spoiled kittypets all through the leafbare season."

"What Clan was he from?" Mothkit asked.

"No one knows," answered Featherkit. "But who cares when he's that skilled?"

Hailkit didn't care, that was for sure. Liontooth really was the best warrior ever if he could do all of that. Hailkit felt his paws tingle. What if one day, _he_ was as powerful as Liontooth? What if he would be able to hunt hawks and fight badgers all alone?

"Liontooth was praised among all the Clans. If ShadowClan needed help fighting off rats, he would help them. If WindClan needed help driving away herds of sheep-"

"Sheep?" Mothkit echoed.

"He would do it. If RiverClan needed help rebuilding their camp after a flood, he would manage in only one day. And if ThunderClan had snakes to worry about, well let's just say, that they didn't have to worry for long," Swallowfur went on. "Liontooth suffered great tragedy in his life, though. Every mate he took, killed. Every kit he had, starved, all of his family, his friends. They never lived for very long."

"But that doesn't make any sense. If Liontooth was so powerful, then why couldn't he help his mates when they were attacked, or feed his kits when they were hungry?" questioned Mothkit with a flick of her white tail-tip.

"Because as strong as he was, he could not control their destinies," Swallowfur replied. "The only destiny that you can control is yours. You can be whatever you want as long as you try hard enough to grasp onto your destiny and make the choices that shape who you are."

"But what if he wanted his destiny to be him living happily with his family?" asked Mothkit.

"Perhaps because he chose his duties as a warrior and put them over the things that were close to him. By not saving his mates and his kits, he saved many other lives throughout all of the Clans by helping them with their troubles. That was his job. Each and every kit born here has a role to play. You never know what it could be, but you'll soon find that it will affect more than just your own life," Swallowfur said.

_And my role is to be a great warrior, just like Liontooth!_ Hailkit thought.

"Continuing, Liontooth was so powerful that everyone thought that he would be able to stop the monsters that roamed along the Thunderpath," meowed Swallowfur. "Liontooth agreed, for one of his mates was killed by a monster. So one day, in the midst of a hot greenleaf, he went out to the Thunderpath and waited for a monster to come along."

Hailkit's eyes rounded.

"When he saw one, he prepared himself. And as it approached, he got ready to jump-"

"Excuse us!" yowled someone from behind. Hailkit gasped as he was pushed aside into the den wall. He turned to see a dark brown tabby carrying prey in his mouth. "Watch it, kit," he snapped around the fresh-kill. His companion, a bright ginger tom, laughed.

"Oakpaw, Foxpaw, good day for hunting?" Antclaw greeted.

"Definitely," replied Oakpaw.

"Hey, we were listening to a story!" Mothkit hissed. Featherkit glared angrily at the two apprentices as they made their way further into the den. Hailkit recovered from the shove and unsheathed his tiny claws into the floor of the den.

Oakpaw rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, the one about Liontooth, right? Heard that one a million times."

"While I'm sure you're all having fun here, the Elders have gotta eat," snarled Foxpaw, shoving Mothkit aside and dropping the squirrel at Swallowfur's paws.

Oakpaw padded after him with two rabbits swinging from his jaws. "We caught it all ourselves," he boasted, and gave one rabbit to Antclaw, and the other to Patchfur, who was wide awake by then.

Hailkit glowered at the two apprentices as the Elders thanked them for the meal. Swallowfur seemed to have forgotten completely about the story as she dug in to her plump squirrel. He was about to say something, but Featherkit thrusted her downy tail over his mouth.

"It's no use. They've interrupted us before," she whispered. "Let's just go. I'm sure we can find something else to do."

As she took her tail away, Hailkit merely nodded and padded after her and Mothkit as they left. The only thing that kept his hopes somewhat up was the thought of the great warrior Liontooth, who he soon hoped to become.

**Liontooth is like, the Mary-Sue of Mary-Sues. XD. This chapter is actually pretty important. Some central characters were introduced as well as a significant idea that will show up later. Remember to review! **

**~Destiny**


	4. Three

**I am so sorry for the incredibly long wait. You guys have been told more than once that writing has been kinda hard for me lately, and after keeping you waiting this long, I feel awful because this isn't close to my best work in the least. I also just started high school, so that's going to be kinda hard on my writing schedule, especially since I have a TERRIBLE time management strategy for getting my homework done. I am SO SO SO SORRY. But please enjoy, and remember to review. I am getting ideas for this stories. Hopefully, in the future I'll do better with this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors or anything associated with it. **

Chapter Three

Hailkit sat beside Featherkit at the nursery entrance and watched as Lightshine swept her tongue between Snowkit's ears. The white she-cat stood proudly at her mother's paws, her back straight, her shoulders rolled back, and her tail held high over the rest of her body. Her yellow eyes were bright, and her face in a smirk as she looked at the pair mockingly.

Featherkit smiled back. "Can I just be the first to say, thank StarClan she's becoming an apprentice."

"I know. I've been considering clawing my own ears off for the last moon," Hailkit replied.

His sister laughed in agreement. "Oh, you weren't the only one."

A moon had passed since Hailkit and his sisters heard the tale of the great warrior Liontooth. He tried to listen to it again to find out what happened to him when he attacked the monster, but that time he was only found by Cloverstripe, who didn't know he had gone. She carried him back before Swallowfur could say much. After that, he gave up, but he liked to think that Liontooth had defeated the monster. After all, he was the most amazing warrior ever. Why wouldn't he be able to?

With that said, he had been spending a lot more time around the nursery, and it was truly painful. Snowkit became even brattier, and Lightshine even less concerned about whatever her daughter was doing. Hailkit knew that even Cloverstripe was celebrating Snowkit's sixth moon; it meant that Lightshine could return to her duties as a warrior, and leave the nursery along with her daughter. Long story short, it was a happy occasion for everyone.

"Will everyone old enough to hunt please gather beneath the Highrock to hear my words," called Hazelstar from outside.

Lightshine smiled at the sound of her words. "Are you ready, Snowkit?" she asked.

Snowkit flicked her smooth, white tail. "Obviously! You have no clue how long I've been waiting to get out of here!"

"And you won't be missed," muttered Featherkit under her breath before she snickered.

Hailkit held back a snort of amusement.

The two of them watched as Snowkit strode out of the nursery, her head lifted up in the air as if she expected the Clan outside to begin cheering for her. There was only a silence, but no sign of disappointment from the white she-cat. Hailkit knew that she was too busy living in her own fantasy to understand what was really happening.

"Come on, we gotta see this," Featherkit said, running after Snowkit, her tail-tip brushing Hailkit's nose and making him sneeze. He followed.

Mothkit had already been outside waiting. Hazelstar's announcement had probably interrupted a game of hers. She didn't seem to care though. After all, her attention span was about as long as bumble bee's. Hailkit and Featherkit went to sit next to her, but were immediately taken back to the nursery entryway by Cloverstripe when she found them. Hailkit didn't mind though, he could still see perfectly fine.

Hazelstar began. "Naming new apprentices brings strength to the Clan that we can utilize for many seasons, and I am happy to say right now that Snowkit has reached her sixth moon, and is ready to begin her journey as an apprentice of ThunderClan."

Snowkit beamed, her yellow eyes shining with self-pride.

Hazelstar turned to her. "Snowkit, from this moment on until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Snowpaw. I have chosen Dawntail as your mentor. She is an older warrior of this Clan, but her many moons of experience and her selfless personality makes me certain that she can train you as a fine warrior."

"And she's going to need that," Hailkit whispered.

Featherkit laughed, but she shushed by Cloverstripe. She instead gave Hailkit an approving smile.

A pale gray she-cat stood up in the crowd and padded up to touch noses with Snowpaw. She had a friendly, warm smile, and kind eyes. Hailkit hoped that Dawntail would make an impression on the new apprentice, at least by the time he started training.

"Snowpaw! Snowpaw!" The Clan cheered.

Hazelstar dismissed the meeting, and the warriors disbanded. Hailkit watched Snowpaw and Dawntail leave the camp. "What do you think they're going to do?" he asked Featherkit.

"I don't know, probably tour the territory," replied Featherkit, suddenly uninterested in Snowpaw. "What I'm more excited about is our apprentice ceremony. We're next, Hailkit! I can't even wait!"

Mothkit leaped between them, her paws flailing. She landed on her belly and then sprang to her paws. "I can't either! Oh, who do you think your mentors will be?" she asked them loudly. "I think Wolfleap, or Timberclaw, or Poppyfall..."

"Why them?" asked Featherkit.

"I dunno!" she replied.

Featherkit smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm hoping for Whitepelt. I ran into him once after listening to another one of Swallowfur's stories. He's really cordial."

"He's what?" Mothkit asked.

"He's really _friendly_," Featherkit said, then added, "He's a senior warrior too. That means a lot of experience, and a lot of qualification to be a mentor. I think he was Cloverstripe's mentor actually. He'd definitely be happy to work with one of us if that's the case." She turned to Hailkit. "What about you?"

Hailkit shrugged. "I don't really care who I get. I just want to be trained into the best warrior ever!"

"And I'll be right beside you to make sure you don't hurt yourself," Featherkit said, laughing. "It isn't all fun and games you know."

"Why not?" meowed Hailkit.

"We'll be there to help each other," Featherkit stated. She brushed her pelt against his. "We're littermates. It'll be great!"

"Hey," Cloverstripe called, "Move out of the way."

Hailkit looked up to see a black tom heading towards them, carrying a massive bundle of leaves in his jaw. An herb dropped from the collection, and then was crushed under his paws as he continued to walk. Hailkit was pulled away by Featherkit to let the tom through.

"Do you need help, Shadewhisker?" Cloverstripe asked.

The tom mumbled something indecipherable through the herbs in his jaws.

Mothkit squeaked as one of his paws landed unsteadily on her tail. "Ouch!" she exclaimed.

"He's the medicine cat, right?" Hailkit asked Featherkit.

"Yeah," she answered. "Cloverstripe told me about him - you know he's Hazelstar's brother? She told me he tends to overwork himself a lot. Not very friendly. I'd stay away. Luckily we won't have to see him very often. Let's go back inside. Looks like it's going to rain."

Hailkit hadn't realized that the camp was overshadowed by a sheet of dark bluish-gray clouds. As the first cool drops of rain speckled their pelts, the three of them headed back into the nursery.

* * *

He had noticed peculiarities two moons ago.

Something was off. At night, everything in his mind became a foreign labyrinth of intricacies, running, flying, swimming, _shrieking_ uncontrollably. The simple, unsophisticated thoughts of his mindset had gone astray of the norm, and the usual dreams and echoes of his desired future slowly were forgotten. These were all replaced by something larger, something...beyond anything he could expect, or anticipate, whether or not this something was something he should be enthusiastic or apprehensive about.

He didn't understand it, he didn't know what it was. He couldn't describe it. In fact, he couldn't even remember it until he closed his eyes at his mother's belly. Yes, it would indeed vanish again when morning broke his slumber. The memories would shatter into raindrops and sink into the ground, as if in hiding. Maybe there was a reason for that, but he didn't know.

Hailkit would fall. That's how it started every night, with gravity desperately trying to pull him from the conscious world. The darkness of sleep had things to tell him, important things, but none so important that it could break into the light of day.

And his thoughts would race, so quickly that he didn't even know what passed through his young youthful mind, but as it did it felt familiar. He was being spoken to, and the urgency of the message was evident in the lightning quickness of it all. He fell, and he wanted to land. He thought, and he wanted to understand. For two moons his wishes were forbidden, but now was the time when the night grew strong enough to speak clearly.

His paws found ground, his lungs found air, his eyes found thousands of silver lights, sparkling vividly in an expanse of dark blue-gray sky, and sharing a thin layer of its pale, warm light with the darkness in which it resided.

This place, it took so long for him to make it, perhaps because he was not the cat that should be contacted. He was a kit, and he was in StarClan.

"Welcome, young Hailkit."

A gravelly voice greeted him kindly, reflecting the compassionate gleam in two clear blue eyes that stared at him from above. Hailkit's eyes stretched wide. Horror gripped his nerves.

"Am I - am I dead?" His voice cracked.

The cat laughed, amused. He shook out his white pelt, and answered him with a reassuring voice. "No, you are not dead. You merely are visiting."

"Visiting?" Hailkit echoed, confused. "Well, why?" He blinked. "Wait a moment, who are you? What am I doing here? What's going on?"

"All in good time," stated the white cat. "First you should know my name. I am Cloudflight, the former deputy of ThunderClan. I met my fate shortly before you were born. Your father rose in my place. I had been his mentor."

"Really?" Hailkit asked, awe-struck. "So...I _really_ am in StarClan. This isn't just some dream. I'm _actually_ here?"

"Correct," meowed Cloudflight. "I apologize for taking so long to finally reach you. Pollentail thought that you would be capable at understanding out complicated messages at such a young age. She takes her residence here in StarClan perhaps a bit too seriously to think that you have yet reached that level of wisdom. Cats aren't always born with their abilities, you know."

"What?"

Cloudflight laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. Usually we do not speak to young kits such as yourself. It's a bit difficult to get used to."

"Okay, so why am I here?" Hailkit's voice trembled in fear.

"We've contacted others before you, others that are obviously much easier to reach than a young kit," Cloudflight began. "We have given them the same message of what should be done for the strength of this Clan, but unfortunately one cannot truly be forced down their destined path. We understand that this is your decision, but a decision that will greatly benefit all of StarClan."

Hailkit tilted his head. "You don't make any sense."

"Trust me, we do, but it takes many moons is experience to decipher the meanings behind our complex words. Again, I must apologize for being so vague around you." Cloudflight sat down beside Hailkit and looked up at the gorgeous array of stars above. "What have you been told about StarClan, young kit?"

"Uh..." he said, uncertain and confused. "I, uh...well I know that when warriors die they go to StarClan."

"Those only who's hearts have not been tainted by darkness, yes," said Cloudflight. "What else?"

"Well, uh...don't leaders receive nine lives from you guys?"

"True." Cloudflight meowed. "There are many mysteries of this wondrous place. So many that even those who reside here won't be able to comprehend them all. There are forces like us out there. Tribes of mountain cats that have passed into the afterlife, many other groups of the fallen, and we are all connected through the idea of good and evil." Cloudflight swished his tail, and the stars above seemed to send out streams of silver light towards each other, forming bright images in the endless sky. Hailkit gaped in awe as they moved about; he saw cats frolicking, hunting, resting. He saw them leap, and fight, and share tongues among themselves. Cloudflight continued. "Each region of the world, every civilization of cats has there own interpretation of these universal forces, but it is decided by powers beyond us all that decide the definite truth of life."

"Wow," breathed Hailkit.

"And you see, there are many branches in which these truths can grow, creating destinies and purposes for any and all cats. No destiny is truly the same to another, for each are either plagued or blessed with certain encounters and discoveries along the way. Some of the ability to shape their own destines. Others have it chosen for them. Their futures are fortold in chapters, and we get to see how each event impacts you, and changes you into the cat you are meant to be." Cloudflight looked down at the gray and white kit, who still stated breathlessly at the dancing images in the beautiful night sky. "It is because of this, that you must heed my words carefully."

The sky stilled.

Hailkit looked into Cloudflight's eyes, which now blazed vibrantly in illuminant blue flames. "Though there are some that we have told before, like I have already said, we feel it is best for you to hear from us, so you can understand the significance. You must realize that your decision can impact more than you perceive possible: lives beyond the world that you were born into."

He nodded unsure of what to make of the words. It was suddenly cold. He wanted to be back home.

"You, Hailkit, have been chosen to walk a pathway that you have paid no mind to for the past five moons," stated Cloudflight. "It is by the light of StarClan that I ask you to turn away from your dreams of becoming a warrior, and travel in the direction of a medicine cat."

"Medicine...?" An image of Shadewhisker came to mind, carrying the massive bundle of herbs in his mouth, stepping on Mothkit's tail. Featherkit had called him unfriendly. Her remembered Liontooth, the great warrior who did so much for all of the Clans, who's very name became a legend. Her turned his head away. "No, Cloudflight. I'm sorry, but I've always dreamed of becoming a warrior, and I will. I'll be the greatest warrior of all time, right beside my sisters. I'm not giving up the glory of it just to sit in a den and be mean, and sort flowers all day. That's no fun."

"I should have expected nothing else than this," the white tom growled, his lip curling back. "Perhaps Pollentail was right after all, and we should have given you a omen. This is the destiny that has been chosen for you, Hailkit. I know I gave you the full right to decline, but maybe that was a mistake on my part."

Hailkit was silent.

"You must understand that this a choice of astronomical consequences. Life for the Clans as we know it, may change forever. Dark places will strengthen, threatening with each passing day to overthrow the light." As he spoke, colors swirled among him, the most prominent of which being scarlet, which seemed to to drip like blood onto the grass at his paws. Shadows were thrown at the trees around him. Agonizing screams echoed in the distance. "And everything will slowly fall apart. Trees uprooted, giant monsters raiding the landscape, heartless rogues maliciously taking grasp of power..." Cloudflight's eyes glowed menacingly. He seemed to gaze off into the distance, past Hailkit, past the boundaries of StarClan. "Yes, this is all true."

One by one, Hailkit noticed the stars above blink out of existence. Cries of fear, fury, terror, grief, pain pounded down on him like frozen rain. Blood rose from the ground, thick and dark, creating an ocean of lost lives that swirled around him and filled his mouth. Hailkit screamed for Cloudflight. "Help! Help!"

"Peace and unity, forever challenged..."

"Cloudflight!"

"Death at every corner..."

"Help me!"

"No, Hailkit. _Help us_..."

Hailkit coughed. StarClan had become a blood-covered forest, starless, black, and empty."

"_Help us..._"

"Okay! I promise! I'll help you!"

And with his words, all vanished. The blood, the screams, the empty sky, it disappeared into the night, and Hailkit was carried away by comforting slumber before he even realized it.

Silence reigned. Hailkit felt his relief ease his pounding heart.

In the darkness, a pair of desperate eyes appeared.

_"Don't allow corruption to start an endless war."_

**Again, I am so, so very sorry this chapter took so long to finish, and it really isn't all that great, but I seriously just wanted to get through this, so I apologize if everyone is out of character and it's incredibly rushed. I hope next chapter will be out sooner. Thank you for reading lovelies. Please review! **

**~Destiny**


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